One day when his hockey career is long past, Connor McDavid will take his mind back to the 2014 world junior championship and think of the impact Scott Laughton had on him.

Laughton, Canada’s captain, has set an example not only on the ice, where he has made a switch to the wing from centre with grace, but also behind the scenes, where he has become a respected leader among his teammates.

But perhaps not more than in the mind of McDavid, who speaks of Laughton with clear reverence. The two roomed together when Canada was stationed in Copenhagen during several days of practice last month, and when McDavid was benched by coach Brent Sutter in one of Canada’s early games in the tournament, Laughton sought out the 16-year-old.

“It was really good for me because it can be hard not playing,” McDavid said in his quiet manner. “He told me to just stay with it. He has been through his ups and downs, and as a young player (with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League), he did not always play.

“He took his experience and tried to help me. I’m really grateful for that.”

Canada faces Finland in a semifinal on Saturday, a victory away from appearing in the gold-medal game against Sweden or Russia.

Laughton, who cracked the Philadelphia Flyers’ roster but was returned to the OHL in the first week of the NHL regular season, is the epitome of a Sutter-type player.

Do your job on the ice with effort on every shift, and if something happens that doesn’t work out, don’t complain about it.

Off the ice, be a good teammate. If it’s in the hotel lounge set aside for the Canadian players, keep it light; if it’s at the rink, say what needs to be said in the dressing room and back it up on the ice.

Even if it means playing out of position, as Laughton, usually a centre, has been doing on the left side on a line with Bo Horvat and Sam Reinhart.

“I want to keep the guys happy,” Laughton said. “We are away from home for a month at Christmas time and these guys are family right now. We’re sticking together.

“Everyone has been really good. We have a great coach who brought us together. It has been pretty easy for me.”

The Canadians have a workmanlike way about them, and when Sutter and his coaching staff sets out a plan, Laughton is there to lead in carrying it out.

Laughton lists Los Angeles Kings forward Mike Richards, a players’ player if there ever was one, as his favourite NHLer. No wonder Laughton has his teammates’ respect.

“He plays hockey the right way,” defenceman Josh Morrissey said of Laughton. “In a short-term tournament like this, he has done such a great job.

“We know there are a lot of people watching us in this tournament, and it’s important to know when to have fun and relax. He knows that.”

Laughton wasn’t sure what to think before he got to know McDavid. Their brushes with each other happened on the ice, when Laughton’s Generals faced McDavid’s Erie Otters, a meeting which will happen again on Jan. 26.

“I really didn’t know what to expect with all of the hype, but he is probably one of the most modest people I know,” Laughton said. “With all the cameras all over him, everyone looking at the plays he makes and the scrutiny he is under on social media, he takes it well.”

When Laughton passed McDavid in the media mixed zone Friday, he gave the youngster a pat on the chest.

McDavid, whose limitless talent has him headed to be the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL draft, knows he will be a better player because of his time as Laughton’s teammate. That in itself speaks to Laughton’s influence.

“I just love being around him,” McDavid said. “I’m always in his room, playing cards, joking around. Great captain, great guy. He has been unbelievable for me.”

YOUNG CANUCKS NOT SHOWING AGE

MALMO, Sweden -- Age, the Canadian players have proven, really is just a number.

With two games remaining in the 2014 world junior, Canada has demonstrated that icing its second-youngest team in the history of the event has not hurt.

Only the 1987 group was younger on average, and 11 of the Canadian players are eligible to return to play in the 2015 event, one less than the Canadian record.

Of course, it helps that three of the youngsters are top prospects (Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad (2014), and Connor McDavid in 2015).

"When you look at those three young players, they are three pretty important players for us,” coach Brent Sutter said. “You think about the intangible things those players bring besides skill and hockey sense. They are players that can be put in different situations and they are smart enough and talented enough to respond to that.”

Captain Scott Laughton said Reinhart is “probably the smartest player I have ever played with” and that Ekblad “looks like a 20-year-old.”

Said Reinhart, who is well aware of the spotlight leading up to the draft and what it would mean if he helped Canada win gold: “Everyone wants winners. Junior hockey is one thing, but the world junior is a different level. To be a champion would help.”